- Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual Nigel Calder - this is the first book we pull off the shelf when dealing with mechanical or electrical problems.
- Sailboat Maintenance Manual Don Casey - and this is the second book we pull off the shelf.
- How Boat Things Work; An Illustrated Guide Charlie Wing - it's a little embarassing having a book entitled How Boat Things Work but the reality is this is great book at showing mechanical concepts of gear on board from wind vanes to marine toilets to diesel engines. And it's loaded with shiny pictures!
Cruising Guides
- Waggoner Cruising Guide Robert Hale - If you were only going to buy one, I'd recommend this one. It's the most complete and is updated yearly - it's even cheaper than the rest!
- Best Anchorages of the Inside Passage Vipond & Kelly - Great book. We have it out constantly, but we've also found some great places that they don't review
- Sea of Cortez: A Cruisers Guidebook Shawn Breeding and Heather Bansmer - The best looking guidebook we've ever seen. Great photos and chartlets. And Heather and Shawn are wicked cool. If you're gonna be in the Sea of Cortez or just want a coffee table book for the area, buy this book!
Cruising
- The Voyager's Handbook Beth Leonard - THE book to have if you're thinking about cruising
- Why Didn't I Think of That? John & Susan Roberts - Great book of tips from other cruisers
- The Cruising Handbook of Fishing Bannerot & Bannerot - Out of print, but worth finding it
- The Rigger's Apprentice Brian Toss - Well written and very thorough.
First aid
- Medicine for Mountaineering & Other Wilderness Activities James Wilkerson - Very complete and assumes you're outside the bounds of medical help
As for the extended reference library, we got a giant box of books from my adopted parents in Cleveland (thanks Paul and Kathy!) - it's great to have too many books aboard when you've got a really pesky problem on board - you can easily get lost in the books and forget all about that electrical short on which you were looking for info... Here's our full list with some notes!
